The Bible writer, Luke, wrote most of the New Testament, even more than the apostle Paul. In fact, he contributed 27.5 percent of the New Testament. And although he was not one of the apostles of Jesus, he was able to describe Jesus’ ministry as if he was there. So, how did he do it?
Luke the Author
Luke was not one of Jesus’ selected twelve. He made it clear in Luke 1:1-4 that he “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” and compiled testimonies from the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life, and that is from the apostles themselves.
Unlike the other Gospels, Luke’s account provided details before Jesus’ birth, including John the Baptist’s. Moreover, his record in the Book of Acts gave us insight into how the early Christians grew after Jesus’ resurrection. If it were not for his books, we would not understand the work of the Holy Spirit among the apostles. That is why the early churches considered him a “great historian.”
A Companion of Paul
Luke was also a traveling companion of the apostle Paul. In Colossians 4:14, Paul refers to Luke as a “dear friend.” Philemon 1:24 says Paul introduced Luke as “one of my fellow workers.” And in 2 Timothy 4:11, he told Timothy that “only Luke is with me.”
From one of Paul’s writings, we also learn that Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14). This is interesting because Luke wrote precise medical terminology in his writings to describe a sick person who Jesus encountered. In Luke 14:2, Jesus met a man with “an abnormal swelling of his body.” Luke used the word “hudropikos,” a common Greek medical term. Its appearance is found only once in the Bible.
Gentile or Jewish
Bible scholars believed that Luke was a Gentile Christian, setting him apart from the other Bible writers. At the same time, others argue that he was a Hellenistic Jew, biologically Jewish but adapting the Greek lifestyle.
But, whether Luke was a Gentile or Jewish, he was a believer and follower of Jesus. And I believe that far outweighs his race and background.
Reference: Overview Bible